What is Teratozoospermia: Causes, Symptoms & Treatment – Yaami

Have you ever wondered why some couples face difficulties while conceiving, when everything seems normal? 

A key but lesser-known factor could lie in sperm health. 

When sperm health goes unnoticed, it can lead to some severe conditions such as teratozoospermia, where abnormal sperm shape affects fertility. 

Dr. Sankalp Singh, Reproductive Medicine, Infertility and IVF Specialist in Indore, believes that fertility diagnosis can feel overwhelming, but it’s important to remember that every challenge comes with a solution. 

And just like that, sperm health issues like teratozoospermia are treatable with the right solutions.  

In this blog, we’ll understand teratozoospermia meaning, explore the teratozoospermia causes, and discuss the best teratozoospermia treatment options available.

Teratozoospermia Meaning?

By definition, Teratozoospermia ( also known as teratospermia) is a condition that affects the count or morphology of spermatozoa. In simple terms, it means a man’s semen contains a high number of sperm with abnormal shapes or structural defects, which can impact fertility. 

If explained in simpler terms, the defective head, midpiece, and tail of the sperm define teratozoospermia.

According to the National Library of Medicine, the sperm morphology range is about 4-14% only. This means that only 14% of sperm need to be of the right shape and size for a successful pregnancy. If the percentage is lower than that, the condition is marked as teratozoospermia.

Types of Teratozoospermia

Teratozoospermia is tested through a semen analysis. Doctors usually determine the severity of teratozoospermia by measuring how many sperm in a semen sample have abnormal shapes. 

Let’s understand different types of teratozoospermia so that you can have a better understanding:  

1. Mild Teratozoospermia 

Mild Teratozoospermia is the ideal stage to achieve natural conception. It occurs when 86-90% of the sperm in the semen that is ejaculated have an abnormality. Meaning, the remaining number of sperms are healthy and can support pregnancy.

2. Moderate Teratozoospermia 

When the normal sperm ranges from 5-9 percent, it is considered moderate teratozoospermia. In this condition, a large number of sperm are abnormal, and the chances of natural conception are quite low. Assisted reproductive technologies like IVF-ICSI are advised by the doctors in such cases.

3. Severe Teratozoospermia 

When the normal sperm range is fewer than 5% it is a condition of severe teratozoospermia. Here, natural conception is nearly impossible. That’s why advanced procedures like Intracytoplasmic Morphologically Selected Sperm Injection (IMSI) are recommended. 

4. Astheno Teratozoospermia 

This sperm abnormality is a combination of both poor sperm motility (asthenozoospermia) and abnormal sperm morphology (teratozoospermia). Treating asthenoteratozoospermia is challenging. Elaborated procedures like ICSI and IMSI can help couples achieve parenthood.  

Read Also: What are the causes of Male Infertility?

Teratozoospermia Causes

The presence of sperm with abnormal morphology or shape occurs due to various factors, including genetic, lifestyle, and environmental factors.  

Here is a detailed explanation of teratozoospermia causes: 

1. Genetic Factors: Genetic mutations or chromosomal abnormalities can cause sperm to develop in an abnormal shape. Commonly, Klinefelter syndrome (when there is an extra or a missing chromosome) disrupts sperm formation. 
2. Lifestyle Issues: Excessive smoking, drug use, poor diet, or excessive alcohol consumption can negatively impact sperm morphology. 
3. Infections and Medical Conditions: Surgeries, infections in the reproductive system, like epididymitis or other sexually transmitted infections, can lead to abnormal sperm shapes.  
4. Exposure to Toxins, Radiation, or Heat: Continuous exposure to chemicals, pesticides, heavy metals, radiation, and overheating from tight clothing, frequent hot baths, and laptops on laps raises temperature, which can damage sperm quality. 
5. Varicocele: Varicocele raises the testicular temperature due to enlarged veins, which negatively impacts sperm quantity, movement, structure, and shape. 

Teratozoospermia Symptoms

Teratozoospermia silently affects many men because it usually has no outward symptoms. The very first sign of teratozoospermia is difficulty in conceiving. 

When your female partner is unable to conceive even after a significant number of tries, it might be the poor sperm health, count, or motility. A semen analysis can help you understand the situation and choose the next step to achieve parenthood.

Read Also: Food to Increase Sperm Count in Hindi

Teratozoospermia Treatment

1. Lifestyle and medical treatments

• Improving Lifestyle Habits: Healthy lifestyle habits like quitting smoking, cutting down on alcohol, eating a nutritious diet, managing stress, and avoiding heat restore the body’s natural balance. 

• Medical Treatments: Prescribed hormonal therapy, supplements that contain antioxidants prevent further damage to sperm health. 

2. Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART)

Today’s medical advances offer real hope that takes you one step closer to your parenthood journey. Such assisted reproductive technologies include IUI, IVF, ICSI, and more.

Let’s learn about Teratozoospermia treatment in detail, so that you can make the right choice with proper knowledge and understanding. 

• Intrauterine insemination (IUI):

IUI is a process where healthy sperm are directly placed in the uterus. This treatment is one of the first ART methods recommended for couples, as it improves the chances of conceiving.

• In vitro fertilization (IVF):

The procedure of IVF includes joining the egg and sperm outside the body. This treatment gives fertilization a helping hand and is considered one of the most effective ways to conceive. 

• Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI):

In the ICSI method, a single healthy sperm is selected and injected directly into an egg using a microscopic needle. This ART method overcomes the most challenging male-factor barriers. 

• Sperm retrieval techniques

Sperm retrieval techniques like Testicular Sperm Aspiration (TESA) and Micro-TESE are some advanced procedures. Such methods are used when there is no sperm in the semen. It happens often in the cases of severe teratozoospermia or azoospermia. 

Teratozoospermia can feel overwhelming, but it doesn’t mean you can’t have a baby. With early testing, a healthy lifestyle, and proper treatments like IUI and IVF, you can achieve the dream of parenthood. We at Yaami Fertility Centre guide our patients with the right advice and treatments that suit their needs and requirements, and help them to conceive. If you and your partner have been struggling to conceive, book a consultation with us today.

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